Armed and ready, gangs with guns are scourge of Chennai

CHENNAI: Gangsters in Tamil Nadu are infamous for their cold-blooded violence and they are now getting more dangerous than ever before. There has been a sudden surge in the use of firearms by criminals, especially by goons in Chennai.

Police officers seized handguns in two cases in the city in three days and investigators say gangsters are increasingly procuring pistols, especially from the northern states, making themselves more lethal to rivals and more formidable opponents for the police.

Chetpet police on Sunday arrested two men for allegedly attacking a businessman from Alwarpet and threatening him at gunpoint. A police officer said they forced the businessman to sign a cheque for Rs 14 lakh.

"G Vamsidharan, 22, of T Nagar, who runs an orchestra troupe, had arranged for a live concert at an amusement park on ECR with a singer from Florida, USA, in October 2011," the officer said. "He incurred a huge loss and held Sameer Shetty responsible for the loss."

Vamsidharan and his associate H Santhosh, 23, of Vadapalani, abducted Shetty and held him hostage at an apartment in Vepery. They accused him of a scam in the sale of concert tickets and made him sign a cheque, the officer said. The victim told investigators that the duo had an aurgun and a pistol. Police seized the airgun and Rs 10 lakh in cash from them.

A senior police officer who has spent substantial period in city said, "Most of the pistols are brought from states like Bihar and West Bengal which is available in the grey market in the range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, while a licensed one can be obtained for Rs 1 lakh."